QUALITY OF EDUCATION AND THE DEMAND FOR EDUCATION - EVIDENCE FROM DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES

The relationship between quality and demand is analysed using data fro m various countries, with special emphasis on Burkina Faso, Mall, and Tanzania. Four types of educational quality are postulated: value, out put, process and input quality. The relative importance of quality com pared to external efficiency and costs is assessed. The paper is a rea nalysis of existing studies. Qualitative data are complemented by simp le analysis of educational statistics. The studies had different thoug h overlapping foci: one study explored reasons for non-enrolment, drop -out and exclusion from school under the umbrella theme of the quality of education. Another one emphasised social demand in rural areas, wi th quality one of a number of topics. A third study looked at attitude s towards education and educational strategies, restricting itself to parents. A primary level, the quality of education influences the dema nd for education. The relative importance of quality varies from one c ontext to another. Quality influences the decision to enrol less than the decision to carry on. However, it affects enrolment to such an ext ent that moderate correlations have been observed between pass rates a nd repeater rates on the one hand, and enrolment rates on the other. V alue quality is mainly related to enrolment. Output quality is the cri terion for selecting a school or a school system. Output, process and input quality affect dropping out and irregular attendance. Repetition , justified on unsatisfactory output quality, is related to input qual ity. The decision to participate in education combines considerations of educational quality with an evaluation of costs, both direct costs and opportunity costs.